Arsenal fans react to Nacho Monreal's performance on Twitter

It is 10 months since Nacho Monreal signed with Arsenal, and to the surprise of many he has not held off Kieran Gibbs in the race for the left-back spot.

He was even linked over the weekend with a return to Spain, with his place in Spain's World Cup squad speculated to be at risk.

With Kieran Gibbs unavailable through 'illness', Monreal was brought in for his first start in the Champions League group stages this season, although he had made three previous substitute appearances.

Monreal played all 90 minutes and looked assured throughout, helping ensure the Gunners kept a clean sheet with a goalline clearance.

Here is a selection of key stats in relation to his performance:

- Monreal had 80 touches, more than any Marseille player.

- He was one of five Arsenal players to create a goalscoring opportunity.

- His pass completion accuracy was 92 per cent, with each of his two crosses finding a teammate.

- Monreal made three successful tackles, behind only Ramsey (9), and equal to Sagna, and Rosicky.

Dan Coombs

Dan Coombs has been writing for HITC Sport full time since 2012 and has helped the website grow it's audience considerably during this period, while managing a team of writers. He has interviewed high profile names including Stuart Pearce and his work has been cited in Javier Hernandez's biography. In addition to football, Dan is a big fan of the NFL and NBA.